Mandibular protrusion device

ABSTRACT

A mandibular protrusion device which comprises a maxillary dental tray, a mandibular dental tray and at least two lateral links. Each one of the lateral links has a first end removably engageable with the maxillary dental tray and a second end removably engageable with the mandibular dental tray. The maxillary dental tray, mandibular dental tray and the lateral links have complementary male and female members configured to be engageable and disengageable from one another in at least one engagement/disengagement configuration that is not reached when the device is worn or in normal use.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/430,568, which is the U.S. national phase of PCT/CA2013/050726 filedSep. 24, 2013, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 ofCanadian patent application Serial No. 2,791,139, filed Sep. 24, 2012,the entire respective disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The technical field relates to mandibular protrusion devices. Moreparticularly, it relates to a mandibular protrusion device having amaxillary dental tray connected to a mandibular dental tray by laterallinks providing an articulation therebetween.

BACKGROUND

It is known in the art to use dental appliances for the treatment ofsnoring and sleep apnea. For example and without being limitative, thedental appliances can be intraoral orthoses which prevent the mandiblefrom moving posteriorly during sleep.

One type of known intraoral orthosis includes two dental trays (or biteforms) joined together so that the user's mandible projects forwardlyfrom its normal position and thereby helps reducing snoring and sleepapnea. In such an orthosis, the dental trays are connected to oneanother through two lateral links which are configured to advance theuser's mandible during a vertical movement between the maxilla and themandible. In some embodiments, for connection to the dental trayscorresponding to the maxilla or the mandible, the lateral links have aprotrusion inserted in a through hole of the dental trays.

One of the common drawbacks of known intraoral orthoses is that thelateral links often disconnect from the dental tray to which they areengaged, when the intraoral orthosis is being manipulated. In suchcases, the user must spend time to reconnect the disconnected laterallink to its respective dental tray.

In view of the above, there is a need for an improved mandibularprotrusion device which, by virtue of its design and components, wouldbe able to overcome or at least minimize some of the above-discussedprior art concerns.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first general aspect, there is provided a mandibularprotrusion device which comprises a maxillary dental tray, a mandibulardental tray and at least two lateral links. Each one of the laterallinks has a first end removably engageable with the maxillary dentaltray and a second end removably engageable with the mandibular dentaltray. The maxillary dental tray, mandibular dental tray and the laterallinks have complementary male and female members configured to beengageable and disengageable from one another in at least oneengagement/disengagement configuration that is not reached when thedevice is worn or in normal use.

In an embodiment, the engagement/disengagement configuration is a singleconfiguration for each one of the at least two lateral links.

In an embodiment, each one of the complementary male and female membersof the maxillary dental tray, mandibular dental tray and the at leasttwo lateral links has a particular predetermined shape. Theengagement/disengagement configuration is reached when the predeterminedshape of the corresponding ones of the male and female members of themaxillary dental tray, mandibular dental tray and the at least twolateral links are aligned.

In an embodiment, the at least two lateral links include a right sidelateral link and a left side lateral link. The engagement/disengagementconfiguration is different for the right side lateral link and the leftside lateral link.

In an embodiment, the engagement/disengagement configuration of one ofthe right side lateral link and the left side lateral link is at about200° and the engagement/disengagement configuration of the other one ofthe right side lateral link and the left side lateral link is at about170° with respect to a configuration where the maxillary dental tray andthe mandibular dental tray are superposed.

In an embodiment, the complementary male and female members of themaxillary dental tray, mandibular dental tray and the at least twolateral links are substantially L-shaped.

In an embodiment, each one of the male members includes a pivot portionrotatable into a corresponding complementary female member and connectedto a substantially L-shaped enlarged head.

In an embodiment, the at least two lateral links include the malemembers and the maxillary dental tray and mandibular dental tray includethe complementary female members.

In an embodiment, a first one of the male members protrude on a firstside of the lateral links and a second one of the male members protrudeon a second side of the lateral links.

In an embodiment, each one of the at least two lateral links isengageable with the mandibular dental tray by engaging the mandibulardental tray from an inner side towards an outer side of the mandibulardental tray and each one of the at least two lateral links is engageablewith the maxillary dental tray by engaging the maxillary dental trayfrom an outer side towards an inner side of the maxillary dental tray.

In an embodiment, each one of the at least two lateral links has anelongated portion extending between the first end and the second end,the elongated portion having a curvature defined therein.

In an embodiment, each one of the at least two lateral links is thickeralong sections of the elongated portion and towards the first end andthe second end.

In an embodiment, each one of the at least two lateral links is narrowerin a central section of the elongated portion than close to the firstend and the second end.

In an embodiment, the mandibular dental tray is configured forengagement between the complementary male and female members of the atleast two lateral links and the mandibular dental tray to occur above acontact plan between sections of the maxillary dental tray and themandibular dental tray.

In an embodiment, the mandibular dental tray is configured forengagement between the complementary male and female members of the atleast two lateral links and the mandibular dental tray to occur above anupper section of a wall of the mandibular dental tray.

In an embodiment, the lateral links are engageable with the mandibulardental tray in posterior sections thereof and forwardly thereof with themaxillary dental tray.

According to another general aspect, there is also provided a mandibularprotrusion device comprising a maxillary dental tray, a mandibulardental tray and at least two lateral links removably engageable to themaxillary dental tray and the mandibular dental tray. The mandibularprotrusion device is configurable between a plurality of operativeconfigurations reached when the device is worn or in normal use and anon-operative configuration distinct from the plurality of operativeconfigurations. The at least two lateral links are engageable anddisengageable from the maxillary dental tray and the mandibular dentaltray only when the mandibular protrusion device is configured in thenon-operative configuration.

In an embodiment, the non-operative configuration ranges between 90° and270° with respect to a configuration where the maxillary dental tray andthe mandibular dental tray are superposed.

In an embodiment, the non-operative configuration comprises a singleengagement/disengagement configuration for each one of the at least twolateral links. Each one of the at least two lateral links is engageableand disengageable from the maxillary dental tray and the mandibulardental tray only in its engagement/disengagement configuration.

In an embodiment, the at least two lateral links, the maxillary dentaltray and mandibular dental tray include removably engageablecomplementary male and female members having a particular predeterminedshape, the engagement/disengagement configuration being reached when thepredetermined shape of the corresponding ones of the male and femalemembers of the maxillary dental tray, mandibular dental tray and the atleast two lateral links are aligned.

In an embodiment, the complementary male and female members of themaxillary dental tray, mandibular dental tray and the at least twolateral links are substantially L-shaped.

In an embodiment, each one of the male members includes a pivot portionrotatable into a corresponding complementary female member and connectedto a substantially L-shaped enlarged head.

In an embodiment, the at least two lateral links include the malemembers and the maxillary dental tray and mandibular dental tray includethe complementary female members.

In an embodiment, a first one of the male members protrude on a firstside of the lateral links and a second one of the male members protrudeon a second side of the lateral links.

In an embodiment, the at least two lateral links include a right sidelateral link and a left side lateral link. The engagement/disengagementconfiguration is different for the right side lateral link and the leftside lateral link.

In an embodiment, the engagement/disengagement configuration of one ofthe right side lateral link and the left side lateral link is at about200° and the engagement/disengagement configuration of the other one ofthe right side lateral link and the left side lateral link is at about170° with respect to a configuration wherein the maxillary dental trayand the mandibular dental tray are superposed.

In an embodiment, each one of the at least two lateral links isengageable with the mandibular dental tray by engaging the mandibulardental tray from an inner side towards an outer side of the mandibulardental tray and each one of the at least two lateral links is engageablewith the maxillary dental tray by engaging the maxillary dental trayfrom an outer side towards an inner side of the maxillary dental tray.

In an embodiment, each one of the at least two lateral links has anelongated portion extending between a first end and a second end, theelongated portion having a curvature defined therein.

In an embodiment, each one of the at least two lateral links is thickeralong sections of the elongated portion and towards the first end andthe second end.

In an embodiment, each one of the at least two lateral links is narrowerin a central section of the elongated portion than close to the firstend and the second end.

In an embodiment, the mandibular dental tray is configured for theengagement between the at least two lateral links and the mandibulardental tray to occur above a contact plan between sections of themaxillary dental tray and the mandibular dental tray.

In an embodiment, the mandibular dental tray is configured for theengagement between the at least two lateral links and the mandibulardental tray to occur above an upper section of a wall of the mandibulardental tray.

In an embodiment, the lateral links are engageable with the mandibulardental tray in posterior sections thereof and forwardly thereof with themaxillary dental tray.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, advantages and features will become more apparent uponreading the following non-restrictive description of embodimentsthereof, given for the purpose of exemplification only, with referenceto the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a mandibular protrusion device inaccordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the mandibular protrusion deviceshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the mandibular protrusion device shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the mandibular protrusion deviceshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a lateral link of the mandibularprotrusion device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a lateral link of a mandibularprotrusion device according to an embodiment where the lateral link isthicker along sections of the elongated portion and towards endsthereof;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a lateral link of a mandibularprotrusion device according to an embodiment where the lateral link isnarrower in the central section of the elongated portion;

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the mandibular protrusion deviceshown in FIG. 1, wherein the mandibular protrusion device is in aninoperative configuration and one of the lateral links is detached fromthe dental trays;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the mandibular protrusion deviceshown in FIG. 1, wherein the mandibular protrusion device is in aninoperative configuration and one of the lateral links is configured tobe engaged with the dental trays;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view, enlarged, of a rear end of the laterallink shown in FIG. 5, engaged with the mandibular dental tray;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the mandibular protrusion device shownin FIG. 1, wherein the mandibular dental tray and the maxillary dentaltray are configured in an engagement/disengagement configuration for aright side lateral link;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view, enlarged, of the mandibular protrusiondevice showing the lateral link when the mandibular dental tray and themaxillary dental tray are configured in the engagement/disengagementconfiguration for the right side lateral link;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the mandibular protrusion device shownin FIG. 1, wherein the mandibular dental tray and the maxillary dentaltray are configured in an engagement/disengagement configuration and theleft side lateral link is positioned in its engagement/disengagementconfiguration;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view, enlarged, of a right side of themandibular protrusion device shown in FIG. 1, without the lateral links;and

FIG. 15 is a perspective view, enlarged, of a left side of themandibular protrusion device shown in FIG. 1, without the lateral links.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, the same numerical references refer tosimilar elements. The embodiments, geometrical configurations, materialsmentioned and/or dimensions shown in the figures or described in thepresent description are embodiments only, given solely forexemplification purposes.

Moreover, although the embodiments of the mandibular protrusion deviceand corresponding parts thereof consist of certain geometricalconfigurations as explained and illustrated herein, not all of thesecomponents and geometries are essential to the invention and thus shouldnot be taken in their restrictive sense. It is to be understood, as alsoapparent to a person skilled in the art, that other suitable componentsand cooperation thereinbetween, as well as other suitable geometricalconfigurations, may be used for the mandibular protrusion device, aswill be briefly explained herein and as can be easily inferred herefromby a person skilled in the art. Moreover, it will be appreciated thatpositional descriptions such as “above”, “below”, “left”, “right” andthe like should, unless otherwise indicated, be taken in the context ofthe figures and should not be considered limiting.

Referring now to the drawings and, more particularly referring to FIGS.1 to 4, there is shown a mandibular protrusion device (or intraoralorthosis) 20 in accordance with an embodiment. The mandibular protrusiondevice 20 includes two dental trays (or bite forms) and, moreparticularly a maxillary dental tray 22 (or upper dental tray) to beplaced onto the user's maxilla and a mandibular dental tray 24 (or lowerdental tray) to be placed onto the user's mandible. Each one of thedental trays 22, 24 has a wall 26 and defines a U-shaped dentitionreceiving cavity 28, which, in an embodiment, reflects the dentition ofthe intended user of the device 20. Each one of the dental trays issubstantially U-shaped and has an anterior section 25 and two posteriorsections 27 extending from opposite ends of the anterior section 25.

In an embodiment, the mandibular dental tray 24 has two flanges 30extending upwardly from an outer side 31 of the wall 26 and located onopposite sides of the mandibular dental tray 24 in the posteriorsections 27, i.e. at a rear end thereof. Each one of the flanges 30 hasa mandibular dental tray aperture 32 defined therethrough. In anembodiment, the mandibular dental tray aperture 32 is defined in asection of the flanges 30 which extends above an upper section 29 of thewall 26 in the posterior sections 27. In an embodiment, the mandibulardental tray apertures 32 can be respectively located between teeth 34 to38 and teeth 44 to 48 according to the FDI World Dental Federationnotation. The mandibular dental tray apertures 32 are characterized by apredetermined shape, as will be described in more details below.

The maxillary dental tray 22 also has two maxillary dental trayapertures 34 defined therethrough. The maxillary dental tray apertures34 are located on opposite sides of the maxillary dental tray 22 andextend through the outer side 31 of the wall 26. The maxillary dentaltray apertures 34 are located anteriorly of the mandibular dental trayapertures 32, when the maxillary dental tray 22 and the mandibulardental tray 24 are superposed, in an operative configuration as will bedescribed below. In an embodiment, the maxillary dental tray apertures34 can be respectively located between teeth 12 to 16 and teeth 22 to 26according to the FDI World Dental Federation notation. Similarly to themandibular dental tray apertures 32, the maxillary dental tray apertures34 are characterized by a predetermined shape, as will also be describedin more details below.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 7, the mandibular protrusion device 20 alsoincludes two lateral links 36 configured to pivotally connect themaxillary dental tray 22 and the mandibular dental tray 24 to oneanother. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, each one of the lateral links 36 hastwo ends 38, defined at opposite ends of an elongated portion 39. Theends 38 of the lateral links 36 also are engageable with a respectiveone of the maxillary dental tray 22 and the mandibular dental tray 24.The maxillary dental tray 22, the mandibular dental tray, and thelateral links 36 are configured such that when the lateral links 36 areconnected to the dental trays 22, 24, the user's mandible is movedforward.

The lateral links 36 are flexible members. As can be seen in FIGS. 5 to7, the lateral links 36 could present different configurations. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 5, the lateral link 36 has a substantiallyuniform width and thickness. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, thelateral link 36 is characterized by an overall thicker profile than inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 5, including thicker sections of theelongated portion 39 and thicker ends 38. For instance, this laterallink 36 can be suitable for users experimenting high levels of bruxism.In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the lateral link 36 is narrower in acentral portion of the elongated portion 39 than at the ends 38. Forinstance, this lateral link 36 can be suitable for users having a weakjaw musculature. In all of the illustrated embodiments, the elongatedportion 39 has a curvature defined therein, i.e. it is slightly curved,such as to better adapt to the morphology of the user and provide someresilience when stretched. However, it is appreciated that, in analternative embodiment, the shape of the lateral links 36, includingtheir elongated portion 39 and their ends 38, can vary from theembodiments shown.

Each one of the ends 38 of the lateral links 36 includes a pivot member40 engageable with the mandibular dental tray apertures 32 and themaxillary dental tray apertures 34. In the illustrated embodiment, afirst pivot member 40 a protrudes on a first side 36 a and a secondpivot member 40 b protrudes on a second side 36 b of each lateral link36. More particularly, the pivot members 40 have a pivot portion 42 andan enlarged head 44. The shape of the enlarged heads 44 corresponds tothe shape of the mandibular dental tray apertures 32 and the maxillarydental tray apertures 34 such as to be insertable therein. The pivotportion 42 is smaller in cross-section than the apertures 32, 34 inorder to pivot freely therein.

In the embodiment shown, the mandibular dental tray apertures 32, themaxillary dental tray apertures 34 and the enlarged heads 44 aresubstantially L-shaped. The pivot portions 42 are connected to theirrespective enlarged head 44 at the junction of the two arms of theL-shaped enlarged heads 44. In the embodiment shown, the pivot portions42 are cylindrical members with a substantially circular cross-section.One skilled in the art would understand that the mandibular dental trayapertures 32, the maxillary dental tray apertures 34 and the enlargedheads 44 could also have other particular predetermined shape.

Thus, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the enlarged heads 44 can be insertedinto or disengaged from the dental tray apertures 32 and/or themaxillary dental tray apertures 34 in a single configuration, i.e. onlyin a configuration wherein the two arms of the “L” of the enlarged heads44 are aligned (or “substantially in register”) with the two arms of the“L” of the mandibular dental tray apertures 32 and/or the maxillarydental tray apertures 34. When the enlarged heads 44 are inserted in themandibular dental tray apertures 32 and/or the maxillary dental trayapertures 34 and extend past the flanges 30 and/or the wall 26, thelateral links 36 can freely pivot in the apertures 32, 34.

Furthermore, in the embodiment shown, a first one of the arms of theL-shaped enlarged heads 44 extends substantially parallel to theelongated portion 39 of the lateral links 36. Thus, the first arms ofthe L-shaped enlarged heads 44 of the lateral links 36 are orientedtowards one another. The second ones of the arms of the L-shapedenlarged heads 44 of the lateral links 36 extends in the same directionand substantially perpendicularly to the first arms.

In the embodiment shown, the two lateral links 36 of the mandibularprotrusion device 20 are identical. However, in an alternativeembodiment, the two lateral links 36 of a device 20 could be differentfrom one another. Moreover, the shape of the pivot portions 42 and/orthe enlarged heads 44 can vary from the embodiment shown, provided thatthe shape of the enlarged heads 44 and the shape of the correspondingmandibular dental tray apertures 32 and/or maxillary dental trayapertures 34 are selected in a manner such that the enlarged heads 44can be inserted into or disengaged from the apertures 32, 34 in anon-operative configuration. In an embodiment, the non-operativeconfiguration in which the enlarged heads 44 can be inserted into ordisengaged from the apertures 32, 34 is a single configuration.

Furthermore, in the embodiment shown, the pivot members 40 and thecorresponding mandibular dental tray apertures 32 and maxillary dentaltray apertures 34 all have the same shape. However, in an alternativeembodiment, the pivot members 40 for the maxillary dental tray 22 coulddiffer from the pivot members 40 for the mandibular dental tray 24.Similarly, the pivot members 40 and the corresponding mandibular dentaltray apertures 32 and maxillary dental tray apertures 34 of a left sideof the mandibular protrusion device 20 could differ from the pivotmembers 40 and the corresponding mandibular dental tray apertures 32 andmaxillary dental tray apertures 34 of a right side of the mandibularprotrusion device 20.

Still referring to the embodiment shown, and more particularly to FIGS.14 and 15, when the maxillary dental tray 22 and the mandibular dentaltray 24 are superposed the right side L-shaped mandibular dental trayaperture 32 is configured with a first one of the arms extendingsubstantially downwardly and rearwardly and a second one of the armsextending substantially upwardly and rearwardly. The left side L-shapedmandibular dental tray aperture 32 is configured with a first one of thearms extending substantially downwardly and rearwardly and a second oneof the arms extending substantially rearwardly and upwardly. The rightside L-shaped maxillary dental tray aperture 34 is configured with afirst one of the arms extending substantially upwardly and forwardly anda second one of the arms substantially extending downwardly andforwardly. The left side L-shaped maxillary dental tray aperture 34 isconfigured with a first one of the arms extending substantiallyforwardly and upwardly and a second one of the arms extendingsubstantially downwardly and forwardly.

In the embodiment shown, the pivot members 40 of the lateral links 36are engaged with the mandibular dental tray 24 by inserting the pivotmembers 40 from an inner side 46 towards an outer side 48 of the tray24. On the opposite, the pivot members 40 of the lateral links 36 areengaged with the maxillary dental tray 22 by inserting the pivot members40 from the outer side 48 towards the inner side 46 of the tray 22. Itis appreciated that, in an alternative embodiment, the pivot members 40of the lateral links 36 could be engaged with the mandibular dental tray24 by inserting the pivot members 40 from the outer side 48 towards theinner side 46 of the tray 22. For instance and without being limitative,this configuration could occur if the mandibular dental tray 24 is freeof flanges 30 and the lateral links 36 are engaged directly with themandibular dental tray 24, as it is shown in the accompanying figuresfor the maxillary dental tray 22.

Furthermore, in an implementation, the maxillary dental tray 22 caninclude flanges extending downwardly and the maxillary dental trayapertures 34 could be defined in the flanges. The pivot members 40 ofthe lateral links 36 could be engaged with the maxillary dental tray 22by inserting the pivot members 40 from the inner side 46 towards theouter side 48 of the tray 22.

In the embodiment shown, the mandibular dental tray apertures 32 andmaxillary dental tray apertures 34 are positioned in a manner such thatthe elongated portion 39 of the lateral links 36 extend substantiallyhorizontally when the maxillary dental tray 22 rests (or abuts) themandibular dental tray 24, i.e. the mandibular protrusion device is inthe operative configuration, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. In an embodiment,the orientation of the lateral links 36 when the maxillary dental tray22 rests (or abuts) the mandibular dental tray 24 is substantiallyparallel to a contact plan between the maxillary dental tray 22 and themandibular dental tray 24 in the posterior sections 27.

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 13, the mandibular dental tray apertures 32 andmaxillary dental tray apertures 34 are also configured in a manner suchthat, in order to engage and disengage the lateral links 36 from theapertures 32, 34, the maxillary dental tray 22 must be pivotedrearwardly from its operative position into an engagement/disengagementconfiguration. In the illustrated embodiment, theengagement/disengagement configuration for the left side lateral link isdifferent than the engagement/disengagement configuration for the rightside lateral link. As can be seen in FIG. 13, in the illustratedembodiment there is approximately a 30° offset between theengagement/disengagement configurations of the two lateral links 36. Theleft side lateral link has an engagement/disengagement configuration atabout 200° and the right side lateral link has anengagement/disengagement configuration at about 170°, with respect tothe normal and operative configuration wherein the two trays 22, 24 aresuperposed. One skilled in the art will appreciate that, in analternative embodiment, the engagement/disengagement configuration ofthe left side lateral link and the right side lateral link could beinverted.

Moreover, in an alternative embodiment the offset between theengagement/disengagement configurations of the two lateral links 36could be smaller or greater than 30° and could range between 0° and 90°.For example and without being limitative, in an embodiment, the leftside lateral link can have an engagement/disengagement configuration atabout 225° and the right side lateral link can have anengagement/disengagement configuration at about 135°, with respect tothe normal and operative configuration wherein the two trays 22, 24 aresuperposed.

It will be understood that, in another alternative embodiment, theengagement/disengagement configuration could be the same for the leftside lateral link and the right side lateral link, i.e. there could beno offset between the engagement/disengagement configurations of the twolateral links 36. For example and without being limitative, themaxillary dental tray 22 could be configured in a configuration whereinit is positioned behind and at the same height than the mandibulardental tray 24, i.e. it is rotated rearwardly about 180° from theoperative configuration, to be configured in theengagement/disengagement configuration.

The engagement/disengagement configuration wherein the enlarged heads 44can be inserted into or disengaged from the mandibular dental trayapertures 32 and maxillary dental tray apertures 34 corresponds to anon-operative configuration, i.e. a configuration that is not reachedwhen the device is worn or in normal use. As mentioned above, in theembodiment shown, the engagement/disengagement configuration correspondsto a configuration wherein the maxillary dental tray 22 is rotatedrearwardly with respect to the mandibular dental tray 24. For instance,the maxillary dental tray 22 can be rotated rearwardly between 90°,wherein the lateral links extend substantially vertically and upwardlyfrom the mandibular dental tray 24, and 270°, wherein the lateral linksextend substantially vertically and downwardly from the mandibulardental tray 24, from the operative configuration to be configured in theengagement/disengagement configuration. Furthermore, it corresponds to aconfiguration that cannot be reached during conventional washingoperation of the mandibular protrusion device 20.

In the operative configuration wherein the maxillary dental tray 22 andthe mandibular dental tray 24 are superposed, the lateral links 36 areprevented from disengagement from the dental trays 22, 24 since theenlarged heads 44 are not aligned (or substantially in register) withtheir apertures 32, 34 as shown in FIG. 10.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the device 20 can have morethan one engagement/disengagement configuration, i.e. the enlarged heads44 can be inserted into or disengaged from the apertures 32, 34 in morethan one configuration, provided that the configurations correspond tonon-operative configurations, i.e. configurations that are not reachedwhen the device is worn or in normal use.

In the embodiment shown, the dental trays 22, 24 include the femalemembers, i.e. the mandibular dental tray apertures 32 and maxillarydental tray apertures 34, in which the male members of the lateral links36 are engageable, i.e. the pivot members 40. In an alternativeembodiment (not shown), the dental trays 22, 24 can include the malemembers, i.e. the pivot members which protrude outwardly therefrom, andthe lateral links 36 can include the complementary female members, i.e.apertures defined therethrough. In this embodiment, the shape of theapertures can be a predetermined shape which corresponds to thepredetermined shape of the pivot members and, more particularly, to theshape of an enlarged head thereof. The complementary male and femalemembers can be configured and positioned in a manner such that they areengageable and disengageable from one another in one or severalnon-operative configurations, i.e. configurations that are not reachedwhen the device is worn or in normal use. In an embodiment, thecomplementary male and female members can be engageable anddisengageable from one another in a single configuration, which can be aconfiguration that is not reached when the device is worn or in normaluse.

Several alternative embodiments and examples have been described andillustrated herein. The embodiments of the invention described above areintended to be exemplary only. A person of ordinary skill in the artwould appreciate the features of the individual embodiments, and thepossible combinations and variations of the components. A person ofordinary skill in the art would further appreciate that any of theembodiments could be provided in any combination with the otherembodiments disclosed herein. It is understood that the invention may beembodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit orcentral characteristics thereof. The present examples and embodiments,therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details givenherein. Accordingly, while the specific embodiments have beenillustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind withoutsignificantly departing from the spirit of the invention. The scope ofthe invention is therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope ofthe appended claims.

1. A mandibular protrusion device having a right side and a left side,the mandibular protrusion device comprising: a maxillary dental trayhaving a wall with an outer side, an anterior section, and twospaced-apart posterior sections, the wall defining a U-shaped dentitionreceiving cavity; a mandibular dental tray having a wall with an outerside, an anterior section, and two spaced-apart posterior sections, thewall defining a U-shaped dentition receiving cavity, the mandibulardental tray further comprising two flanges extending upwardly from arespective one of the posterior sections and outwardly from the outerside of the wall, wherein a lateral link receiving channel is definedbetween each one of the two flanges and the outer side of the wall ofthe mandibular dental tray; and two lateral links, each one of thelateral links having an elongated portion with an anterior end removablyengageable with the maxillary dental tray, a posterior end opposed tothe anterior end, a dental-tray facing face, and a flange-facing faceopposed to the dental-tray facing face, the posterior end beingremovably engageable with a respective one of the flanges of themandibular dental tray, and located in a respective one of the laterallink receiving channels when engaged with the respective one of theflanges of the mandibular dental tray; two male members provided on eachone of the right side and the left side of the mandibular protrusiondevice and two female members provided on each one of the right side andthe left side of the mandibular protrusion device, the female membersbeing complementary in shape to the male members, the female members andthe male members being provided on the anterior section of the maxillarydental tray, the flanges of the mandibular dental tray, and the anteriorends and the posterior ends of the two lateral links to detachablyengage the two lateral links with the mandibular dental tray and themaxillary dental tray at the posterior ends and the anterior ends; andwherein a first one and a second one of the male members provided oneach one of the right side and the left side of the mandibularprotrusion device protrude respectively towards and away from the outerside of the walls of the maxillary and mandibular dental trays when thelateral links are engaged therewith; and wherein the complementary maleand female members are engageable and disengageable from one another inat least one engagement/disengagement configuration that is reached whenthe anterior section of the maxillary dental tray is located rearwardlyof the posterior sections of the mandibular dental tray.
 2. Themandibular protrusion device of claim 1, wherein theengagement/disengagement configuration is a single configuration foreach one of the two lateral links.
 3. The mandibular protrusion deviceof claim 2, wherein the two lateral links comprise a right-side laterallink and a left-side lateral link, and wherein theengagement/disengagement configuration is different for the right-sidelateral link and the left-side lateral link.
 4. The mandibularprotrusion device of claim 3, wherein the complementary male and femalemembers are substantially L-shaped and the engagement/disengagementconfiguration for the right-side lateral link is reached by rotating oneof the maxillary dental tray and the mandibular dental tray to a firstangle and the engagement/disengagement configuration for the left-sidelateral link is reached by rotating one of the maxillary dental tray andthe mandibular dental tray to a second angle different from the firstangle.
 5. The mandibular protrusion device of claim 2, wherein each oneof the male members comprises a pivot portion rotatable into acorresponding one of the complementary female members when engagedtogether and connected to a substantially L-shaped enlarged head.
 6. Themandibular protrusion device of claim 5, wherein each one of the femalemembers comprises an L-shaped aperture and the L-shaped enlarged head ofeach one of the male members is defined by two arms intersecting eachother at an angle with the pivot portion being connected to therespective enlarged head at the intersection of the two arms, and eachone of the enlarged head is insertable into or disengageable from therespective one of the L-shaped apertures solely in theengagement/disengagement configuration wherein the L-shaped enlargedhead of the male members is substantially in register with therespective one of the L-shaped apertures.
 7. The mandibular protrusiondevice of claim 1, wherein each one of the two lateral links isengageable with the mandibular dental tray by engaging a respective oneof the flanges of the mandibular dental tray from an inner side towardsan outer side thereof and wherein each one of the two lateral links isengageable with the maxillary dental tray by engaging the maxillarydental tray from the outer side towards an inner side of the wall. 8.The mandibular protrusion device of claim 1, wherein the elongatedportions of the two lateral links have a curvature defined therein andeach one of the two lateral links is thicker along sections of theelongated portion and towards the anterior end and the posterior end. 9.The mandibular protrusion device of claim 1, wherein the elongatedportions of the two lateral links have a curvature defined therein andeach one of the two lateral links is narrower in a central section ofthe elongated portion than close to the anterior end and the posteriorend.
 10. The mandibular protrusion device of claim 1, wherein the twolateral links are engaged with a respective one of the flanges of themandibular dental tray above a contact plan defined between posteriorsections of the maxillary dental tray and the mandibular dental tray andabove an upper section of the wall of the mandibular dental tray. 11.The mandibular protrusion device of claim 1, wherein an anterior one ofthe male members protrude from the dental-tray facing face of theelongated portion of the two lateral links at the anterior end and aposterior one of the male members protrude from the flange-facing faceof the elongated portion of the two lateral links at the posterior endand wherein the elongated portion of the two lateral links is protrusionfree on the flange-facing face at the anterior end and is protrusionfree on the dental-tray facing face at the posterior end.
 12. Themandibular protrusion device of claim 1, wherein the male membersprotruding from or engageable with a respective one the lateral linksprotrude in opposed directions with respect to the dental-tray facingface and the flange-facing face of the respective one of the laterallinks.
 13. An intraoral orthosis having a right side and a left side,the intraoral orthosis comprising: a maxillary dental tray having a wallwith an outer side, an anterior section, a left-side posterior sectionand a right-side posterior section, the wall defining a U-shapeddentition receiving cavity; a mandibular dental tray having a wall withan outer side, an anterior section, a left-side posterior section and aright-side posterior section, the wall defining a U-shaped dentitionreceiving cavity, the mandibular dental tray further comprising twoflanges extending upwardly from a respective one of the posteriorsections and outwardly from the outer side of the wall, wherein alateral link receiving channel is defined between each one of the twoflanges and the outer side of the wall of the mandibular dental tray;and two lateral links, each one of the lateral links having an elongatedportion with an anterior end removably engageable with the maxillarydental tray, a posterior end opposed to the anterior end, a dental-trayfacing face and a flange-facing face opposed to the dental-tray facingface, the posterior end being removably engageable with a respective oneof the flanges of the mandibular dental tray, and located in arespective one of the lateral link receiving channels when engaged withthe respective one of the flanges of the mandibular dental tray; whereineach one of the anterior section of the maxillary dental tray, theflanges of the mandibular dental tray, and the anterior ends and theposterior ends of the two lateral links comprises at least one of malemembers and female members to detachably engage the two lateral linkswith the mandibular dental tray and the maxillary dental tray at theposterior ends and the anterior ends, wherein the male members and thefemales members are complementary in shape and the male membersprotruding from or engageable with a respective one of the lateral linksprotrude in opposed directions with respect to the dental-tray facingface and the flange-facing face of the respective one of the laterallinks; and wherein the complementary male and female members areengageable and disengageable from one another in at least oneengagement/disengagement configuration that is not reached when thedevice is worn or in normal use, the at least oneengagement/disengagement configuration being reached by rotating one ofthe maxillary dental tray and the mandibular dental tray of more than 90o with respect to a configuration where the maxillary dental tray andthe mandibular dental tray are superposed.
 14. The intraoral orthosis ofclaim 13, wherein the at least one engagement/disengagementconfiguration is a single configuration for each one of the two laterallinks.
 15. The intraoral orthosis of claim 14, wherein the two laterallinks comprise a right-side lateral link and a left-side lateral link,and wherein the engagement/disengagement configuration is different forthe right-side lateral link and the left-side lateral link.
 16. Theintraoral orthosis of claim 15, wherein the engagement/disengagementconfiguration for the right-side lateral link is reached by rotating oneof the maxillary dental tray and the mandibular dental tray to a firstangle and the engagement/disengagement configuration for the left-sidelateral link is reached by rotating one of the maxillary dental tray andthe mandibular dental tray to a second angle different from the firstangle.
 17. The intraoral orthosis of claim 13, wherein each one of themale members comprises a pivot portion rotatable into a correspondingone of the complementary female members when engaged together andconnected to a substantially L-shaped enlarged head defined by two armsintersecting each other at an angle with the pivot portion beingconnected to the respective enlarged head at the intersection of the twoarms; and each one of the female members comprises an L-shaped aperture;and wherein each one of the enlarged head is insertable into ordisengageable from the respective one of the L-shaped apertures solelyin the engagement/disengagement configuration wherein the L-shapedenlarged head is substantially in register with the respective one ofthe L-shaped apertures.
 18. The intraoral orthosis of claim 13, whereineach one of the two lateral links is engageable with the mandibulardental tray by engaging a respective one of the flanges of themandibular dental tray from an inner side towards an outer side thereofand wherein each one of the two lateral links is engageable with themaxillary dental tray by engaging the maxillary dental tray from theouter side towards an inner side of the wall.
 19. The intraoral orthosisof claim 13, wherein the elongated portions of the two lateral linkshave a curvature defined therein and each one of the two lateral linksis thicker along sections of the elongated portion and towards theanterior end and the posterior end.
 20. The intraoral orthosis of claim13, wherein the elongated portions of the two lateral links have acurvature defined therein and each one of the two lateral links isnarrower in a central section of the elongated portion than close to theanterior end and the posterior end.
 21. The intraoral orthosis of claim13, wherein the two lateral links are engaged with a respective one ofthe flanges of the mandibular dental tray at least one of: above acontact plan between posterior sections of the maxillary dental tray andthe mandibular dental tray and above an upper section of the wall of themandibular dental tray.
 22. The intraoral orthosis of claim 13, whereinthe at least one engagement/disengagement configuration is reached whenthe anterior section of the maxillary dental tray is located rearwardlyof the posterior sections of the mandibular dental tray.
 23. Theintraoral orthosis of claim 13, wherein an anterior one of the malemembers protrude from the dental-tray facing face of the elongatedportion of the two lateral links at the anterior end and a posterior oneof the male members protrude from the flange-facing face of theelongated portion of the two lateral links at the posterior end andwherein the elongated portion of the two lateral links is protrusionfree on the flange-facing face at the anterior end and is protrusionfree on the dental-tray facing face at the posterior end.
 24. Theintraoral orthosis of claim 13, wherein a first one and a second one ofthe male members provided on each one of the right side and the leftside of the mandibular protrusion device protrude respectively towardsand away from the outer side of the walls of the maxillary andmandibular dental trays when the lateral links are engaged therewith.